Asia-Pacific Daily Report April 8, 2004

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1 PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN) 1 Jarrett White Road MCPA-DM, Tripler AMC, HI Telephone: PDMIN@coe-dmha.org Afghanistan Asia-Pacific Daily Report April 8, 2004 Afghan Interior Minister calls take over of northwestern Faryab province by northern warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum unconstitutional Afghan Interior Minister Ali Ahmad Jalali is calling today s takeover of the provincial capital Maymana (also spelled Maimana) of northwestern Faryab province by militias loyal to ethnic Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostum, as unconstitutional and against all military rules. Speaking to a press conference in the Afghan capital Kabul, Jalali said Dostum s actions were undermining the authority of the Afghan central government of President Hamid Karzai. The comments came shortly after forces loyal to Dostum took control of Maymana city earlier this morning (Thursday, April 9). Dostum s forces entered the city before the first batch of a total of 750 troops of the Afghan National Army arrived in Faryab. Jalali said he had no reports of casualties, however, according to a Dostum aide, four people were killed when guards fired at a crowd. The aide, Akbar Boy, welcomed Afghan National Army troops in the area, but warned of a violent backlash if they sided with embattled provincial officials who were allegedly using government funds to buy votes and influence ahead of nationwide general elections in September. Dostum s forces began their siege of Faryab on Tuesday (April 6) after Provincial Governor Enyatullah Enyat and a local commander who were loyal to Dostum switched their support to President Karzai. The standoff with the country s two major warlords, namely Ismail Khan and Abdul Rashid Dostum in recent days, is a major test of the power and determination of the Afghan central government. Cambodia Montagnard refugees from Vietnam's central highlands arrive in Cambodia More than 40 ethnic Montagnard refugees from Vietnam s central highlands who fled repression in their country are seeking asylum in neighboring Cambodia. Khieu Sopheak, a Cambodian Interior Ministry spokesman, said that the country office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cambodia have accepted the refugees who have been arriving in Cambodia since early March. A UNHCR official told Japan s Kyodo news on condition of anonymity that more than 60 asylum seekers were now held at the agency s asylum center in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. At least 1,000 Montagnards, mostly Christians, have fled Vietnam since 2001 when Vietnamese authorities began a crackdown against the minority group protesting against

land-rights issues and religious persecution. Some 900 of the Montagnards were later resettled in the United States in June 2002.

2 land-rights issues and religious persecution. Some 900 of the Montagnards were later resettled in the United States in June The Cambodian government was strongly criticized by human rights groups in the country for the involuntary repatriation of the refugees to Vietnam. Cambodian authorities, who closed refugee camps in the northeastern provinces in 2002 under alleged pressure from Vietnam, deny sending back any refugees since then. India Blast killed 26 policemen in India s eastern Jharkhand state; Rebels call for boycott in West Bengal; Northeast rebels reject call for peace talks A landmine reportedly triggered by leftist rebels killed at least 26 policemen today in the eastern state of Jharkhand. The police were traveling in vehicles in a jungle, after raiding a suspected rebel hideout. A police officer said a rebel member was also killed and an unknown number of police officials injured. Police suspect the regional leftist People s War Group (PWG) or the Maoist Communist Center (MCC). Last year, the PWG carried out a similar attack in the same area, killing 33 policemen. Last Friday (April 2), the PWG and the MCC issued a statement demanding a boycott in Jharkhand and neighboring Bihar of the April 20-May 10 nationwide general elections. The attack occurred the night before Indian Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani was due to campaign in the state. Maoists are active in 18 of the 22 districts of Jharkhand. In a separate incident elsewhere in Jharkand, security forces yesterday reportedly killed 3 rebels. More than 6,000 people have been killed since Maoist rebels began fighting in They mostly target rich landowners and the police, who they say are exploiting the poor. Meanwhile, in the northeastern state of West Bengal, the PWG, the MCC and a rebel faction of the Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist (CPI M-L) have called for a boycott of the polls in a joint statement. The groups also criticized West Bengal s long-ruling CPI-Marxist party, besides the federal ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its rival, the Congress Party. Meanwhile, a statement issued yesterday on behalf of dozens of separatist and ethnic rebel groups in the northeast rejected a proposal by Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee for peace talks. The statement was issued by

3 the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Leftist and rebel groups have usually boycotted and targeted elections in the region. India s northeast is home to more than 200 ethnic groups and is surrounded by China, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Bangladesh At least 9 people killed in attack on election rally in Indian-controlled Kashmir (IcK) At least 9 people, 8 civilians and a police officer, have been killed in an attack on an election rally of 200 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir (IcK) today after suspected militants threw hand grenades and opened fire. More than 60 people, including state Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh and Tourism Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, were injured in the attack. The rally was organized by the ruling People s Democratic Party (PDP) in the border town of Uri, about 100 km (62 miles) west of the summer capital of Srinagar. Police say that a militant group, Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen, claimed responsibility for the attack. Yesterday, the Kashmiri main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) called for the boycott of India s general elections in late April to early May, despite 2 unprecedented rounds of peace talks with New Delhi and an upcoming one in June. The PDP was holding the rally to call for a proposed bus service to link Srinagar with Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir (PcK). Although a bus service between Lahore, Pakistan and New Delhi was successfully resumed last year as part of renewed India-Pakistan overtures, Kashmiri separatists as well as some Pakistani officials have expressed reservations on the Kashmiri bus link. They say it would require passengers to apply for visas and therefore imply the official recognition that IcK and PcK is part of Indian and Pakistan territory respectively, despite a nearly 50-year dispute over Kashmir. India and Pakistan officials were due to begin talks on the bus service today, but the talks were abruptly called off yesterday. Since last year, India and Pakistan have engaged in a series of CBMs that include the resumption of diplomatic, transport and sports links. Meanwhile, 4 soldiers died overnight when a bomb tied to the dead body of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant exploded when they approached. Earlier today, soldiers reportedly shot dead Qari Ashraf, the head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group in a gunbattle northwest of Srinagar

Indonesia Indonesian military says 8 Aceh rebels killed in separate clashes over last two days; Observers note increase in fighting in the province The Indonesian army today claimed that at least 8

4 Indonesia Indonesian military says 8 Aceh rebels killed in separate clashes over last two days; Observers note increase in fighting in the province The Indonesian army today claimed that at least 8 suspected Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels were killed in clashes in restive Aceh province over the past two days. Indonesian army spokesperson Lt. Col. Asep Sapari said that additionally 3 suspected rebels were arrested and weapons confiscated during sweeps in the northern district of Pidie. Six rebels also surrendered yesterday, Sapari said. He also accused the GAM of killing two civilians, however, GAM representatives could not be reached for comment. Observers say that despite claims by Indonesian officials that the security situation in Aceh is improving, clashes appear to have intensified during the past few weeks. The Indonesian government began an allout military offensive against the GAM in May 2003, after peace talks with the rebels broke down. Military officials then said that they would crush the rebel movement in 6 months, but it has been almost one year since the operation began. The Associated Press reports that the military claims to have killed almost 1,800 rebels. The Jakarta Post reports that the Indonesian military claims more than 1,300 rebels have been killed and about 2,000 rebels and sympathizers have been arrested or surrendered to authorities. Human rights groups say that the majority of the victims killed in the military offensive so far have been locals killed by military sweeps in rural areas. It is difficult to get independent verification of the claims as the Indonesian government has imposed strict regulations on international aid groups and foreign press. Some 40,000-55,000 security troops are in the province to fight an estimated (pre-operation) 5,000 GAM fighters. The GAM has been fighting for an independent homeland since Some 12,000 have died in violence since then.

5 Nepal Nepal's government says that it will ban rallies in Kathmandu and Lalitpur The Nepali government has announced that it has introduced a new set of measures to ban rallies in the capital Kathmandu. Government officials say that they need the new powers because recent protests against the king have been infiltrated by Maoist rebels. The BBC reports that from midnight, all gatherings, except religious gatherings, are banned in the capital, Kathmandu, and its twin town Lalitpur. Under the new rules, no more than 5 people can gather in one place and anyone can be arrested and held for an undisclosed amount of time. Ongoing protests by the five main political parties have been ongoing for the past week or so with demonstrators rallying against King Gyanendra. Although local media reported some days passing by relatively peacefully, some days were marked by violent clashes between demonstrators and policemen with hundreds reportedly being injured. The government s announcement is likely to be met with anger and skepticism, observers say. A big rally was reportedly planned for tomorrow (Friday, April 9) when King Gyanendra was to have returned to Kathmandu. Meanwhile, the third day of a Maoist called general strike has reportedly had less impact then the previous days as far as affecting normal life, Nepalnews reports. Reports say that despite most shops and businesses still being closed, the number of public and private vehicles on the road in the capital have increased. It is common for the Maoists to call for strikes and they are generally observed by citizens for fear of retaliation by the rebels Maoists reportedly abduct 2,000 in southwest Nepal; More violence reported across the country Reports say that Maoist rebels in Nepal are reported to have abducted some 2,000 people from villages in the southwest of the country near the border with India. The abductions are reported to have taken place near the district of Kanchanpur in Nepal. The BBC reports that a local official said that an additional 3,000 people had fled across the border into India to escape from being taken. Nepalnews reported that some 5,000 locals have been forced out from several villages in Kanchanpur district and are living in tents in Pilibhit district in neighboring India s northern Uttar Pradesh state. The rebels are regularly accused of carrying out abductions and forcing people to attend political and cultural education programs and then are normally released after a few days. However, mass abductions such as the one reported today are not as common. On April 1, Maoists reportedly abducted around 1,000 people from southwestern Bajura district, in what was then reportedly one of the largest mass abductions since the Maoists began their insurgency in In related news, Kantipur Online reports that irate villagers reportedly killed 7 Maoists and took 2 others captive for forcibly taking them to attend a Maoist program. KOL reports that the Western Division Headquarters of the Nepalese Army says that the villagers attacked the Maoists after they were freed. Villagers have reportedly formed civilian patrol groups according to the KOL and were asking security troops for additional security. In other news of violence, at least 2 policemen were

confirmed dead and 45 others listed as missing after Maoist rebels attacked a police station in Ilam district which is close to the Darjeeling region in India.

6 confirmed dead and 45 others listed as missing after Maoist rebels attacked a police station in Ilam district which is close to the Darjeeling region in India. KOL reports that at least 2 Maoists may have also been killed in the clash. In the capital, Kathmandu, local media reported that two blasts occurred in which two people were injured. The bombings are blamed on suspected Maoist rebels. One attack occurred at a police station while another bomb destroyed a taxi. Nearly 9,000 people have been killed since the Maoists began their insurgency in 1996 to overthrow the constitutional monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom and set up a communist state Pakistan US consulate in Pakistan s southern Karachi city warns of possible terror threats According to reports today, the US Consulate in the southern city of Karachi yesterday warned of possible terror acts against US interests and warned Americans in southern Sindh province and southwestern Balochistan to increase security. The warning cited a reported aborted attack on March 15, a March 19 attack on a checkpoint as well as an attack on Sunday (April 4) on a police station near the Karachi airport as evidence that terrorists might attack American interests, especially those that are soft, vulnerable and unprepared. However, Rex Moser, Public Affairs officer at the consulate, denied that any specific threats had been received. In the March 15 incident, a bomb found in a stolen van parked outside the US Consulate was defused after police officers discovered it, shortly before a visit to Pakistan by US Secretary of State Colin Powell. In June 2002, a suicide truck bombing in front of the US consulate in Karachi killed at least 12 Pakistanis, which was blamed on Islamic militants in the country. Tensions have increased in Pakistan after the military carried out a large and relatively rare military raid last month on its eastern semi-autonomous tribal areas bordering Afghanistan in an effort to flush out al Qaeda and Taliban suspects, along with US logistical support. The raid has caused an outcry among Pakistani Islamic groups. There has been an increase in attacks against government security forces and Western interests ever since Pakistan joined the

7 US-led war on terror after the September 11 attacks, although attacks against Westerners have appeared to slow down since

Asia-Pacific Daily Report August 7, 2003

Asia-Pacific Daily Report August 7, 2003 PACIFIC DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION NETWORK (PDMIN) 1 Jarrett White Road MCPA-DM, Tripler AMC, HI 96859-5000 Telephone: 808.433.7035 PDMIN@coe-dmha.org http://www.coe-dmha.org Afghanistan Asia-Pacific